A statement from Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the eight balloons were all discovered on February 9, just before the Lunar New Year, at altitudes ranging from 4,500 m to 11,600 m, according to AFP.
This is the largest number of balloons detected since Taipei began regularly releasing data on this in December 2023.
China's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, the Chinese government dismissed Taiwan's repeated claims of balloon sightings, saying they were for meteorological research purposes and Taipei should not exaggerate the issue for political reasons.
Taiwanese forces conduct naval exercises on January 31.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to unify the island.
Beijing has stepped up military pressure on Taipei in recent years, deploying fighter jets and naval ships around the island almost daily.
In February last year, Taiwan's armed forces alerted aviation authorities after spotting a balloon in the island's airspace, but did not say where it came from or provide details of its location.
The latest balloon sightings come after Taiwan's presidential election last month, which was won by Lai Ching-teh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Beijing has criticised him for his "dangerous" separatist ideology.
Before the January 13 election, China warned that Lai’s victory would bring “war” to Taiwan. But Beijing did not dispatch large numbers of fighter jets and naval vessels near the island immediately after the election, as was widely expected.
The record number of Chinese fighter jets deployed near Taiwan within 24 hours was set in September 2023, when Taipei reported 103 Chinese aircraft flying around the island.
Lai will take office in May, succeeding President Tsai Ing-wen. According to Reuters, he has offered to negotiate with China on issues across the Taiwan Strait, but was rejected by Beijing. He said only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
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